Student Perspectives from LSU’s College of Engineering

Category: Resources for Students

Did you miss the Financial Literacy Workshop “Dollars and Sense, Watch Your Expense” held by Engineering Student Services? If so, we’ve compiled a list of the top financial tips from the event into an infographic!

The LSU College of Engineering is beginning the scholarship cycle for the Fall 2016 semester. We encourage all undergraduate students to complete the following steps to improve your chances of receiving a scholarship from the College. We encourage you to complete steps one and two outlined below before September 15, 2016.

Step Two: Upload Your Supporting Documents

We also consider your resume, work experience and personal goals when awarding scholarships. To improve your chances of receiving a scholarship, please upload your resume, transcripts, letters of recommendation, and work verification letters beginning August 18th. You can also complete a personal statement to tell us more about Yourself. Complete step one and two by Sunday, September 18, 2016.

Step Three: Complete the Scholarship Recipient Profile

If awarded a scholarship, you will receive a notification email from the College. All notifications will occur by October 31st for the Fall semester. To confirm receipt of the scholarship, you will be required to complete a scholarship profile. The notification email will include instructions to complete this profile.

Rising computer science senior Jacqueline Robinson recently wrapped up her first full semester as a squad member for Intel’s Stay With It Engineering program.

As a squad member, Robinson said she spent the past eight months “promoting any initiatives the program hosted.”

“We also try to maintain an active social media presence to showcase our journeys of becoming engineers to inspire those who follow us,” she added.

The program, an online community in which engineering students can engage with each other and share engineering related content and support, was first introduced to Robinson through her participation with LSU’s student chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). Robinson, who is from Slidell, Louisiana, said she was attracted to the program because of its potential for international impact.

“Many on-campus programs and initiatives are much more local to the organization members or the LSU community,” she said. “This program has a much larger focus. The organization’s purpose is to encourage students from all over the world.”

The Stay With It Program is free for anyone to join. The program has a strong social media presence, which is mostly active on Facebook, according to Robinson. She encourages fellow students to check out the program’s Facebook page.

“Some people use it when they need help with homework. You can also use it to reach out and see if there is another student or professional who is currently doing something you want to do,” Robinson said. “If you are concerned about something or struggling to get past an obstacle, you can reach out on Facebook to see if anyone else has advice on a similar problem.”

The program’s main website also hosts a blog that offers advice on topics like how to land an internship, resume templates for first time job seekers, informative videos about the diversity of the field and other engineering resources—all free of charge for its members.

Robinson said her role is centered on being the liaison between college students and the industry.

“While I don’t plan events, the insight I submit about our concerns of being engineering students and what we would like to see in the industry is important,” she said. “During my time with the program, I worked with others to launch a Stay With It Women group because we felt that addressing the gender gap was important.”

In addition to being a member of NSBE and attending Association in Computing Machinery (ACM) events, Robinson is a founding member of Women in Computer Science (WICS) at LSU. Through her involvement with these various organizations, she said, she’s gained better perspective on her chosen field and received the necessary tools to sharpen existing skills and cultivate new ones.

Robinson said the Stay With It program “impacted her socially,” and allowed for some relief from the anxiety that often accompanies entering the engineering field for the first time.

“A lot of the fear of graduating and entering the industry is attributed to low confidence and feeling unprepared,” she said. “Students seeing videos of other students and professionals make you feel inspired and more prepared.”

Robinson also said the program features a mentorship component that allowed her to grow closer with professionals and industry representatives in her field.

“I have received a lot of advice from the coordinator of the program, Rhonda Peters James,” she said. “I learned how to analyze my skills in engineering and how to properly market my talent.”

With eight months as a Stay With It squad member behind her, Robinson plans to begin her senior year this fall as an active member of the online support community of engineering students.

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For more information on the Stay With It program, visit http://staywithit.org/, or check out their Facebook page. For questions, contact communications assistant M.B. Humphrey at marissah@lsu.edu.

In April, more than 80 current and rising student leaders filled the Frank Walk Room for a comprehensive, interactive one-day workshop aimed at preparing the organization leaders for the upcoming academic year.

Communications assistant M.B. Humphrey sat down with associate director of diversity initiatives Sarah Jones to discuss the variety of topics covered by representatives from the STEM Talent Expansion Program (STEP), the Chevron Leadership Academy, Student Services and the Office of Diversity Initiatives. Read more about the valuable insight students gained below:

1. What Leadership Is
Joseph Odenwald, Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs, gave students a thorough breakdown of what leadership is, as well as the several different theories of leadership that may be encountered within group settings. He highlighted the differences between leadership styles of the past, often role-specific and results driven, to more current leadership styles that are change-oriented.

2. What it takes to become a Transformational Leader
Transformational leadership is characterized by the ability to bring about change in an organization by developing a shared vision, values and ideas. Director Emerita of LSU’s Center for Academic Success Saundra McGuire said, “transformational leadership is a requirement for leaders of today.” She added that it is the duty of the leader to trust their team to handle their respective roles, while the leader focuses on the “bigger picture.” She explained the necessity for students to be well rounded not only in leadership, but also academically, and highlighted the resources available in the Center for Academic Success.

3. DISC
STEP manager Adrienne Steele outlined the leadership styles featured in the DISC Assessment, which stands for dominant, influential, steady and conscientious. These four main leadership styles illustrate the practices that are most common within group settings. Steele walked through the characteristics of each group, focusing on the strengths and weaknesses of each. Students were then split into groups by their leadership style and discussed areas of improvement among them.

4. Leadership Cultivation Opportunities
Director of the Chevron Center Warren Hull spoke about a new program to the College, the Chevron Leadership Academy. The semester-long program, with a large mentorship component, gives select students the opportunity to cultivate and hone their leadership skills. The program supports it participants in a variety of ways including: an introductory kick-off workshop, monthly leadership seminars and the assignment of an industry mentor. Hull also debunked several leadership myths like, “only extroverts can be leaders.”

5. How to make SMART goals
Sarah Jones and Jada Lewis ended the workshop by teaching students how to perform a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis and how to make “SMART” goals for their organizations, as the students planned for the upcoming year. The SMART acronym—which represents specific, measurable, attainable/actionable, relevant and time-bound— acted as an outline by which the student organization leaders could plan collaborative events and activities with other organizations that shared similar goals and missions

This post comes to you from Dr. Joe Odenwald, Assistant Dean of Engineering Student Services. He says, “This list is neither comprehensive nor particularly original. It’s a compilation of good practices for students I have seen in ten years working with college students.”

1. Begin with the end in mind. This comes from Stephen Covey’s book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. The idea is that we envision in our minds where we want to go, who we want to be. His notion is that there are two creations, first in our minds and then in the physical. To be successful, you need to see the endpoint: graduation. President Alexander often says, “Graduation starts today.” And it does. Covey also talks about a personal mission statement. You need to begin drafting yours now.

The end is near! Well…sort of. But you’ve got this.

2. Go to class, every day. I really think this may be the best piece of advice anyone could give. When professors discuss students who are successful and those who are not, they often mention class attendance. If you aren’t in class your ability to keep up, especially with math and science courses, is limited. This really isn’t affected by how smart you are, because at this level it is as much about having the information as it is knowing what to do with it.

3. Get plenty of rest. Yes, you are young. And probably quite healthy. But you need to sleep, regularly. This helps keep you healthy so that you can attend class and remain awake while in class.

Get sleep…enough said.

4. Eat a balanced diet. Easy on the Cane’s chicken and pizza and other heavy foods. Seriously, the freshman fifteen is no myth. And weight gain can have a negative impact on mental health, too.

5. Get some exercise. The best way to deal with stress is to sweat it off. It also can energize you and enable you to focus better once you get back to your studies.

This kind of exercise is probably not what you need on a daily basis.

6. Make friends, but not too many. You need a circle of companions with whom to share the ups and downs of college life, but don’t make the mistake of becoming such a socialite that you can’t squeeze in studying.

7. Use a calendar. Whether you are a Google calendar person or an old fashioned wall calendar person, having one to map out all your tests, projects, etc., is a great way to keep things from sneaking up on you.

8. Have some fun, but not too much. You’re all free to recreate as much as you like, but there are consequences. Going out Thursday through Saturday nights is not going to mesh well with your studies. Schedule fun as a reward for good grades, etc.

You can have a social life and keep up with your classes…honestly!

9. Call Mom and Dad. Or your grandparents or guardians. They love you and want to hear from you. Maybe not every day, but work in some phone calls amid texts. They want to hear your voice, and hearing theirs will help motivate you.

10. Try to do what’s right in every situation. Look out for your neighbors and friends. Be academically honest. Think about how you navigate relationships, treating others as you would like to be treated.

[Editor’s note: photos and captions not provided by writer.]

Student Services can help you with academic counseling, general assistance and referrals, scheduling, and more. They are located in the Audubon Sugar Institute Building off South Stadium Drive near Tiger Stadium between the Military Science Building and the LSU Police Station. To schedule an appointment with a counselor, you can use their online appointment scheduler.